SAN DIEGO, Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) -- along with a coalition of local civil rights groups, Islamic centers, and mosques -- today submitted a letter to the San Diego office of the FBI seeking clarification on media reports of anti-Muslim training and materials offered to agents.
Signatories to the letter include the NAACP San Diego Branch, ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, Islamic Center of San Diego, Masjidul Taqwa, Islamic Society of North County, Muslim American Society -- San Diego, Muslim Community Center of Greater San Diego, Afghan Community Islamic Center, and many others.
The coalition expressed concerns about persistent reports that FBI agents are trained to view mainstream American Muslims with suspicion and to view the faith of Islam itself as the source of terrorism and extremism.
Video: FBI Trainer Says Forget 'Irrelevant' al-Qaida, Target Islam
http://tinyurl.com/3l4um38
The letter said in part:
"We are also requesting a reasonable assurance that bigoted trainers and inaccurate, biased training materials are not used to educate FBI agents in San Diego, and an assurance that protocols are in place to prevent the affiliation of anti-Muslim trainers with your office."
The coalition will be calling for a meeting with officials from the San Diego office of the FBI to air concerns and discuss solutions going forward so that San Diego Muslims could be assured that local agents of the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) would not be subjected to biased training.
Two weeks ago, CAIR sent a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller calling for "swift action" to reform the agency's use of anti-Muslim instructors and Islamophobic materials during counterterrorism training.
SEE: CAIR Seeks 'Swift' FBI Action on Revelations of Anti-Muslim Training
http://tinyurl.com/5ujx52u
"It is absolutely essential for the safety and security of this nation that the FBI and related agencies get unbiased training," said CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Hanif Mohebi. "It's not rocket science to understand that good training leads to good investigations while biased training leads to biased investigations."
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
Subscribe to CAIR's E-Mail List
http://tinyurl.com/cairsubscribe
Subscribe to CAIR's Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational
Subscribe to CAIR's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/cairtv
CONTACT: CAIR-San Diego Director of Public Relations Edgar Hopida, 619-913-0719, ehopida@cair.com; CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Hanif Mohebi 858-774-9991, hmohebi@cair.com
SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations
